Thin-place detector for looms.



No. 653,533. Patanted .luly I0, |900.

J. L. DSWALT.

THIN PLACE DETECTUR FUR LOOMS.

(Appliaton filed Feb. 27, 1900.)

(No Model.)

lNrrnD STATES A'rnN'r Fries.

JOHN L. OSIVALT, OF SPRAY, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR TO THE DRAPER COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ZAND HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS.

THIN-PLACEDETECTOR FoR Looms.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,589, dated July 10, 1900.

Application filed February 27l 1900. Serial No. 6,667. (No model.)

To ill Zilli/0m, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN L. OSWALT, of Spray, county of Rockingham, State of North Carolina, haveinvented an Improvementin Thin-Place Detectors for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

In weaving cloth thin places or streaks result from the continued operation of the takeup mechanism after failure ofthe iillingA or its exhaustion in vthe shuttle, and it sometimes happens that'the fillingfork fails to operate properly for various reasons, so that in the case of an automatic loom, for instance, a change of filling will not be effected at the proper time, resulting in a bare or thin streak in the cloth. It is manifestly of importance that the loom be stopped promptly if anything of this nature occurs in order that the operative can wind back the cloth and repair the faulty work.

This invention has for its object the production of means for detecting the occurrence of a bare or thn'place in the cloth and automatically effecting the stoppage of the loom promptly.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a loom with one embodiment of my present invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective detail showing the thin-place detector and its connected drop -member in normal inoperative position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the cloth at the fell or cloth-forming point, showing the thin-place detector supported by the filling; and Fig. 4 is a similar view, but with the detector in operative position, due to 0ccurrence of a thin place.

The loom-frame A, breast-beam A40, lay A8, and harnesses H may be of usual construction, thecloth M being taken up as formed by suitable take-up mechanism. (Not shown.)

I have herein shown warp-stop-motion mechanism comprising drop members a, longitudina-lly slotted to receive the warp-threads and strung upon a cross-bar ax, Fig. 1, flat bars b b' guiding the drop members in their vertical movements, normal warp-threads maintaining the drop members inoperative over the cloth M above the fell.

in well-known manner-such, for instance, as shown and described in United States Patent No. 545,728, dated September 3, 1895. y Stopping mechanism for the loom is provided, including the usual shipper-lever S and beltshifting means, (not showu,) the shipper-lever being released by a knock-oft' arm e', fast on a rock-shaft e, mounted in the loom-frame A A and rocked, as will be described. When a 6c warp-thread fails, its drop member o. moves down into the path of a feeler f, mounted on arms f/,of a rock-shaft f2, Fig. 1, which is normally vibrated in suitable manner, such engagement of the drop member and feeler acting through intervening devices to rock shaft c and knock oft' the shipper-lever.

On a suitable part of the loom-frame, as the arch AX, Figs. 1 and 2, I have mounted a r bracket b5, having ears b to receive a sub- 7o stantially-horizontal rock-shaft or light rod 197, parallel to the vertical plane of travel of the warps and provided with two inwardlyextended arms bs b9, the former herein shown as projecting above one end ofthe series of drop lmembers ct andthe latter projecting Herein the arm bg'is shown as bent ,down at Z710 Ito rest upon the cloth adjacent the fell, the lower end of the thin-place detector Z910 being pref- 8o erably flattened to form al thin blade Z212, Figs.

3 and 4, lying parallel to the warps and resting on*v the 1i1lingthreads t at the fell. A thin fiat drop member 1915 is shown as jointed at 616 -to the arm h5 and depending between the 85 guide-bars b b', Fig. l, at one end of the series of drop members a, the lower end of the member 1915 being normally maintained up out of the feeler-path so long as the filling sustains the detector blo. ln Fig. 2 the member Z915 is 9o shown as longitudinally slotted to receive the fixed cross-bar ax, which extends across the loom, as usual. When, however, the tilling fails and is not beaten up, the take-up draws the cloth along, so that the detector bw, will 95 be no longer supported and its thin foot Z212 drops down between the warp-threads, as in Fig. 3, detecting the thin or bare place formed in the cloth. At the same time the shaft 177 rocks and the drop member 1915 descends into roo position to engage the feeler fof the warp stop-motion ,and the operation of the stopping mechanism is effected as it would be had a Warp-thread failed, and the loom is stopped, the operative knowing the trouble to be with the filling, owing to the abnormal position of the arm b9. Collars 20 on the rock-shaft b7 prevent endwise movement in its bearings on the bracket b5. As soon as the loom is stopped the operative winds the cloth back to the proper point, resets the thin-place-controlling means for the stopping mechanism, attends to renewal of the filling, and starts the loom up again at the proper pick, and a thin streak in the cloth is obviated.

The feeler may be vibrated by any suitable mechanism-such for instance, as is shown in United States Patent No. 621,310, granted March 14, 1899-a linkfl, jointed to an arm f3 on the rock-shaft f2, having a toe fx to travel on a cam FX on the cam-shaft C of the loom, said link having a bunter f5 to be engaged by a tappet m on the tappet-cam M, Fig. 1, when the feelerf is arrested. An arm e2 on the rock-shaft e is pivotally connected with a link e4, hooked around the cam-shaft C at e5 and having jointed to it at e7 a lever e8, provided with a stud c, extended through a slot f8 in the depending end of the link f4. Adjustment of the bunterff relative to the tappet-cam is effected by a rod ew, adj ustably connecting the lever e8 and arm e2, as in the patent referred to. When the feeler is arrested, the bunter is held in the path of and is engaged by the tappet-cam M, and the link e4 is moved longitudinally to rock the shaft e and release the shipper-lever.

My invention is not restricted to the construction andarrangement herein shown, as I have shown one practical embodiment of my invention Without attempting to show or describe the various modifications which can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat-- ent, is-

1. In a loom, stopping mechanism therefor, a series of warp-stop-motion detectors maintained inoperative by normal Warp-threads, a thin-place detector, and means controlled thereby and operatively connected with the stopping mechanism to elect the operation thereof upon occurrence of a thin place in the cloth.

2. In aloom, stopping mechanism therefor, a series of Warp-stop-motion drop-detectors maintained inoperative by normal Warpthreads, a thin-place detector normally held inoperative by the filling at the fell of the cloth, and a drop member operatively connected therewith and located in the series of drop-detectors, to effect the operation of the stopping mechanism upon failure of the illing at the fell.

3. In a loom, stopping mechanism, including a vibrating feeler, and a series of drop members to coperate with the feeler and effeet the operation of ,the stopping mechanism, and means operatively connected with one of said members to normally maintain it inoperative by or through the presence of filling at the fell of the cloth, the other drop members being maintained inoperative by normal warp-threads, engagement of any of said drop members with the feeler eecting the operation of the stopping mechanism.

4. In a loom, stopping mechanism, means controlled by the warp-threads, and means controlled by or through the presence of the filling at the fell of the cloth, both of said means being adapted to coperate with the stopping mechanism to effect the operation thereof by Warp failure and absence of filling at the fell, respectively.

v5. In a loom, a rock-shaft having attached arms,a thin-place detector depending from one arm to normally rest on the cloth adjacent the fell, a drop member depending from the other arm, and stopping mechanism for the loom, including a vibrating feeler, the detector descending upon occurrence ofa thin place in the cloth and positioning the drop member to engage the feeler and thereby effeet the operation of the stopping mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribin g witnesses.

JOI-IN L. OSWALT.

Witnesses:

JOHN F. LORD, F. C. WILSON. 

